REASON: As all kinds of vocational trainings simply aim to give opportunity to trainee to "work and earn money", the aim of this project is also to help our target group inactive women to work and earn money for their life sustainability and lice in more wealthy environment. There exist a large number of inactive people, especially women who are potentially "home based workers" or "e-workers", but they need proper and efficient training for this. One of the most convenient "home based working" field is "call centers". People who are employed in call centers as call center representatives/agents are not necessarily have to be employed in the organizations’ premises or working offices anymore, thanks to fast developing communication technologies and Internet. As a result of development in communication technologies, call diverting is very easy and inexpensive. Access to company Intranets via Internet is now part of daily life due to high Internet access speeds. Therefore, home based working in this field is perfectly possible in any part of Europe, if proper training and practice channels are made available to those who will be interested in such a challenging employment opportunity. Another important factor of choosing this field for e-working is the fact that the sector steadily grows around 10-20% every year all in Europe in spite of recent years' global recession and financial crises. AIMS: The concrete aim of this project is “to e-train inactive women for their e-employment as call center representatives, to work from their homes”. Training concept also includes e-stage possibility for efficient and complete result achievement. After such a program, individual will be ready to start working, without needing extra steps. So, main objective is “to increase employability of inactive women in a profitable scheme for both employee and employer, under current market conditions”. CONSORTIUM CHARACTERISTICS: SNU [TR] HEI (University) FFE [ES] - Adult VET provider Łukasiewicz-ITEE [PL] - National R/D body developing VET for unemployment prevention INCSMPS [RO] - National R/D body developing VET for unemployment prevention AHBV [TR] - HEI (University) POINT [TR] - ICT and e-VET systems professional TAKIDD [TR] - Large women NGO and networking ZARIF [SK] - Large women NGO and networking SPI [LT] - NGO with networking OUTPUT: Integrated e-Training and e-Stage portal supported by Android APP will allow future call center representatives to be e-trained and practice by means of calling each other and simulating clients in changing roles. Grading/rating anonymously and repetition of e- learning modules depending on the strengths/weaknesses, re-studying while repeating e-courses and similar features will bring the possibility of satisfactory self evaluation before starting to actual work. IMPACT: After having this kind of e-training and e-stage opportunity, home based employment possibility for inactive women will not be a dream any more. Thus, this will surely open a new challenging door for inactive women, including women with physical disabilities; for them to work from their homes and integrate themselves to labor market.
The concrete aim of this project is to train economically inactive/unemployed women for their e-employment as call center representatives via an e-learning platform, allowing them to work in their homes. In order to realize this aim, the following objectives were achieved: i) Enabling them to use existing digital technologies for teaching, learning and actual work in virtual environment via smartphones, tablets, and laptops during and after the e-learning phase. ii) Provide opportunities for women to enter employment, even if full-time job seems unlikely due to their inactive status. iii) Create awareness among economically inactive/unemployed women about the potential virtual job positions as call center operators/agents, where they may possess talent, skills, and hidden competencies that they may have never considered for this particular work. iv) Enable women to become home-based call center operators/agents or even micro-entrepreneurs selling call center services online. This whole approach aims to contribute to the economic growth of Türkiye and Europe, aligning with sustainable growth objectives by increasing employability.
A significant number of women who are currently economically inactive /unemployed in the labor market can potentially become employed as "home-based" or "e-workers," given they receive suitable and practical training. Among the various options available, call centers stand out as one of the most suitable and promising fields for home-based work. As a result of the developments in communication technologies and Internet, call diverting has become effortless and cost-effective, and high-speed Internet access allows easy connectivity to company Intranets. Therefore, home-based work in call centers is a viable option across Europe, provided interested individuals can access appropriate training and practice opportunities. Moreover, the call center sector has steadily grown in Europe, with an annual increase of 10-20%, even amid global recession and financial crises in recent years. Based on these facts within the VirtualCall project's scope, a multilingual training program, an e-learning platform, and a mobile app were created to increase the employment opportunities of economically inactive/unemployed women as call center representatives.